Valve



Feb. 17, 1931. G. R. wlLDl-:RN 1,792,880

' VALVE Filed 0G13. 17. 1927 of cf gld/wn *gif ww GEMM? Patented Feb. 17, 1931V PAT iran STATES anon-en nrwrtnnnn, lor DETROIT, MICHIGAN ENroFFIca VALVE ,Application filed October 17, V1927. Serial No.4 226,535.

This' invention relates to valves and particularly to a typev designed yfor controlling "the iow of gasto heaters, Vfurnaces or the like,

the principal object-.beingto provide a new 5 and novel constructionsimple 1n design and eiiicient in operation. n

1 Another object isto provide a valve for controllingtheiiow of as to a furnace or the like, in which a mass o mercury isemployed 1o as the sealing means.

introduced under pressure,.said chamben be-v ing. provided with a downwardly Vextending tube openatv its lower end for Vthe escape of gas from the chamber,1a vertically movable cup being positionedbeiowthe `open end of f2@ the tube and being filled' witha' heavy iuid such as mercury, the cup being actuated by a thermostatic or.' other automatic' means, the vconstruction of the device being suchv as to produce an accelerated opening or closing of the open end ofthe tube by the mass of'heavy iuidin the. cup.

The above being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists in cer tain features ofV construction and combina- 30 tions of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and then claimed, having the above and other objects inview. y y

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates'a suitable embodiment of the present invention, and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several different 'views,- Y

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary partially. sectioned back view of device. 1

`Fig. 2 is a sectionalview'taken on the line of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View illustrating a relative position of parts when the valve is closed against passage of the gas.

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified method of operating my valve.

The valvecomprising the' present invention is shown in the drawing as comprising a pan-shaped` casing comprising side walls 10, top wall 1l,bottomliwall`12 and backlwall 18, the front face' ofthe same being open.

Intermediate the. top wall `11l and bottom wall 12 isla cross wall 14 preferablyposiv tioned near the bottom'wallI 12. The side walls 10 and topand bottom walls 11 and 12 are provided with ank outwardly extending marginal attachingfl'ange ,15 to which the cover Vplate 16 is secured by screws such as f i 17 and nuts 18thus closing the casing and` forming two separate chambers 19 andy 20' therein. lAn opening21 extendsthrough one of the side walls 1() intovthe chamber 19 vvand Source of gas under pressure. A boss portion 22 is formed `von the opposite side wall 10V and is provided with a vertical opening 23 which plugged at tsupper end by the plug24 and Vis screw threaded for connection to a suitable rigidly receives at its lower `end thetube which extends downwardly therefrom in 'a' vertical direction and' terminates at a point spaced abovethe upper surface ofthe interior wall 14". A cross opening 26 connects Ythe' opening 28 with the exterior ofthe casing and is threaded for connection Vto a pipe exten-ding to` a burneror other Vgas consuming device in connection with which the device is employed, it beingilnderstood, of course, thatv the pipe may be connected directly to the opening 23 and the opening 26` eliminated if Y desired, the latter opening being provided primarily to balance up the.r appearance of Y the device.

In axial alignment with the tube 25 in the Vwall 14 is an opening 27, and another opening 28 is provided in the bottom wall 12 in alignment with the opening 2f? and tube 25, the bottom wall 12 being provided with a boss 29 at this point and the opening 28 being closedj by' a plug 30 at the loweren'd thereof.. Slidably V ventional spiral coil 35 formed of thermostatic material has one end thereof received within the slot 36 of the screw member 33 to lock the same against movement, and the outer extremity of the coil 35 is formed into an eye 37 through which a pin 38 passes and is threaded into the rod or shaft 31. A slot such as 39 may be provided in the lower end of the shaft 3l in order to prevent any suction or pressure between the lower end of the shaft 3l and the plug 30 from interfering with the free vertical movement of the shaft 3l. Within the cup 32 is a heavy liquid 40 such as mercury.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing. The device is placed in a position to be affected by the temperature of a device or parts whose temperature is desired to be controlled, such as for instance the water heater tank employed in homes or other places, in which case'a suitable pipe (not shown) is connected from the opening 26 to the burner of the heater. The rotary position of the screw 33 and the level of the liquid 40 within the cup 32 are so adpisted that when the water in the tank reaches a predetermined temperature value the coil 35 will have expanded suiiiciently to bring the surface of the liquid 40 sufficiently near the lower edge of the tube 25 to restrict the flow of gas from the opening 2l up through the tube ,and out through the opening 26 to the burner. The construction is such that as soon as the cup 32 is thus raised suiliciently to restrict the flow of gas into the tube 25, the cup 32 will be accelerated in its upward movement and will havev a snap to its movement whereby to immerse a substantial amount of the end of the tube in the liquid 40 and thus effectively seal the tube 25 against the passage of gas, and on opening movement of the cup 32 unsealing the tube 25 a similar accelerated action will take place whereby to quickly open the tube 25 tothe passage of This action is the result of the following The weight of the mercury or other heavy liquid 4:0 acts in opposition to the expanding force of the coil 35 and as soon as the surface of the liquid has been raised sufliciently to restrict the flow of gas to the tube 25, the pressure of the gas within the tube 25 is lowered and the pressure of the gas within the chamber 19 acting on the surface of the liquid 40 in the cup 32 around the outside oA the tube forces some of the liquid 4;() up into the casing, thus tending to relieve the coil 35 of supportinga portion of the weight of the liquid it), and at the same time the pressure of the gas acting` on the bottom of the cup over the crois section al area of the tube 25 also tends to raise the cup 32. These two features acting in conjunction at the time that the full flow of gas through the tube 25 is interrupted, acts to give the cup 32 a sudden upward movement which has the effect of deeply immersing the tube 25 in the liquid 40 and sealing the same with a quick action, thereby preventing a continnance of the flow of gas under the edge of the tube as occurs in constructions that have been suggested in which the contact between the tube and the mercury is brought about gradually and which results in a spluttering of the liquid 40 and consequent loss of the same due to particles being carried out through the discharge tube. The position of the cup 32 with respect to the tube 25 and the action of the liquid 40 when the latter has moved to seal the end of the tube 25 is Clearly illustrated in Fig. 3.

It is a frequent occurrence to have particles of dust or other foreign matter carried by the gas and where such is the fact such dust is, of course, carried into the chamber 19 and a certain amount of the same is carried out through the tube 25. When this dust collects on the surface of the mercury 40 it forms a scum or skin on the same which is relatively hard to break, and where the end of the tube 25 is left flat this scum may often exert sufficient resistance to breaking by the tube 25 that gas will be forced downwardly between the tube and the mercury and carried upwardly into the tube between the walls of the same and the mercury, thus preventing an effectual seal to tl e flow of gas. In order to prevent such leakage I bevel the end of the tube 25 so that the lower edge of the same presents a knife or cutting edge which readily cuts the dust skin on the mercury and allows the mercury to contact directly with the tube 25, thus insuring a complete seal against the flow of gas into the tube 25 when the device is in closed position.

When the tank or other device upon which the valve mechanism is secured to control its temperature cools, the coil 26 contracts in the conventional manner, this tending to lower the cup 32 against the pressure of the gas. As soon as the coil 35 has cooled suiliciently to exert a tension greater than the pressure of the gas acting on the bottom of the cup 32 as previously described,` the cup 32 will move downwardly with the shaft 31 sufficiently to break the seal of the liquid 40, in which case the will rush into the tube. This not onlv returns the original weight of the liquid 4l) on the coil 35 but also relieves the action of the gas on. the bottom of the cup 32, the gas pressure on the cup 32 thereafter being balapced. This action relieves the upward tension on the coil 35 with a result that it suddenly contracts and lowers the cup 32 sutliciently to bring the level of the liquid 40 a suflicient distance below the tube 25 to completely open the tube 25 to the flow of gas. This action gives a quick opening and closing falve which is essential to the success of an apparatus of this type employing a liquid for sealing the flow of gas under pressure and without which the practicability of the device is destroyed, due to loss of the sealing liquid as described inL the preceding paragraph.

"provided with an inlet passage 44 and an `outlet passage 45. The passage 44 Vis j adapted tov be connected :to a source or" water under pressureand the passage45f is adapted .toj be connected-to the gas heater'to which the flow of gas-v i's controlled by my mercury valve, and the water outlet. side of the gas -heater is connected tothe various hot water faucets in the residence o-r other building in which the device is used. The passages 44 vand 45 are connected by a restricted passagel 46 and an `enlarged circular openingV 47.

` Slidably received in the opening 47 is a piston 48 having a rod 49 which .projects upwardly therefrom through the upper wall of 1 the casing 41 where it is scaled against leak.- age in a conventionalV manner, and thence slidably projects up through the wall 14.,`

Within theychamber 19 `a U-'shapedv spring member 5() is rigidly secured at o-,ne'end to the upper end of the rod 49, and the cup'32 is rigidly secured `to the opposite end of the spring member 50. A plug 51 closes the opening 52 inthe lower face of the casing'41 and is provided to permit entrance of thev pistony 48into the interior Vcasing`4-1.v A coil spring 53 is held under apredetcrmined ytension between the plug 51 and the piston 48. A member 54 adjustably mounted on the shaft 49 by screw'55 limits the upward movement ot' theshatt 49 and, therefore, the upper position ofthe cup 32 in respect to the tube 25. The operatio-n of this control is as' follows:

If a faucet in the hot water line" from the gas heater is opened the* pressureY in the passagey is reduced, and if such faucet is opened sullicientlyl to allow more waterv to flow out of the same than can low through the passage 46 without a drop in pressure, a pressure difference is created between the passages- 44 and 45 and this pressure difference acting ongtlie piston 48 will move piston 48 downwardly. When the piston 48 moves downwardly the rod 49 follows its movement andtends tolower the cup .82; As soon as the :torce acti-ng on the piston 4S is su'l icient to overcome the gas pressure holding the cup 32 and the mercury therein inv contact with lthe tube 25, the cup 32 moves downwardly and breaks the seal of the-tube 25, thusl allowing gas to flow through the tube 25.to the heater. Whenl the faucet. is shut olf the` pressure. in the passage 44 and 45 will, of course,

equalize due to theliowage through the passage 46, thus balancing the water pressure onther piston 48 and allowing the spring 53 to movethe piston 48 and rod 49 upwardly with the' result that the mercury in the cup 32 is again brought' into a sealing contact with the tube 25 and cuts olil the supply of gas to the heater; r

By-inserting the spring member 50 between the rod 49 and the cupA 82 I am enabledto get the same snap in the movement of the cup 32 to seal the tube 25=and to 'brealrthe Iseal ofthe same asV in. the construction previously described; It" will be apparent that: a spring such'as 50 may be employed in the temperavturezcontrolled construction shown in Figs. .1

Yto 3 inclusive, where a thermostat" is used that doesinot provide the range of spring movement that isfpresent in the specilic type of` j thermostat shown, and also VAthat. where a valve mechanism operated by gas or other pressure, or electricity is employed to actuate my `valve mechanism, such 'a spring is highly desirable to provide the snap action of'thesealing and unsealing movementiof the cup 32. i l

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the :device provides a simpleand exceedingly elizectual valve for controlling the flow of gas, and further yprovides an `arrangement in which an accelerating.movement.is imparted to the mass of mercury in its sealing and unsealing movement which is essential 'to a valve of this type. n I

Moreover it is to be -understoood that'I do not limit myselifto the specific means for operating thevalve disclosed butthat any suitable means for actuating the' same maybe provided in conjunction with thevalve, and

of lfluid* pressure, electrical or manual means.

Formal changes may be made-in the specilic embodiment ofthe invention descrioed without departing from the spirit and substance ol' the broad invention the scope oi' which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the type described,'a chamber, means for introducing a fluid under pressure into said chamber, means for conducting said fluid from-said chamber comprising a tube fixed at its .upper end and open at its lower end, means tor supporting a mass of mercury adjacent to the lower end of the tube, and means-'for raising or lowering the last mentioned means to close or open the tube to the flow ol the fluid comprising a unitary resilient member adapted to actively yield to variations of pressure acting on the mercury during operation of said device. r

2. In combination, a chamber, means for introducinga fluid under pressure intothe chamber, means for conducting the fluid trom the chamber comprising a member provided with a downwardly opening portion, means `for movably supporting a mass of mercury adjacent the downwardly opening portion, and thermostatic means t'or moving the supporting means whereby to bring the mercury into or out of contact with the down Yardly opening portion to control the flow of the fluid through the downwardly opening means, the thermostatic means including a unitary member yieldable to the pressure oil the fluid, whereby to accelerate the contacts.

3. In combination, a chamber, means for introducing a fluid under pressure into said chamber, means for conducting said iuid from said chamber comprising a tube lixed at its upper endand open at its lower end, means for supporting a mass of mercury adjacent to the lower end ot said tube, and means for raising or lowering the last mentioned said raising and lowering means including a spring element.

4;. In combination, a chamber, means for introducing gas under pressure into said chamber, means for conducting gas from said chamber comprising a tube immovably supported adjacent the upper end thereof and projecting vertically downwardly in said chamber, means for movably supporting a mass of mercury adjacentrthe lower end of said tube, and temperature responsive means for raising or lowering said supporting means to bring said mercury into or out ot Contact with said tube whereby to cut oil or to permit the flow of said gas through said tube.

5. In combination, a. chamber, means for introducing gas under pressure into said chamber, means for conducting gas from said chamber comprising a downwardly extending tube in said chamber terminating at a point above the bottom thereof, a cup surrounding the lower end oi" said tube and spaced theretrom. a mass of mercury in said cup, and temperature responsive means for raising and lowering said cup in response to variations of temperature whereby to immerse the lower end ot said tube in said mercury or withdraw said mercury from contact with said tube.

G. A thermostatic valve for controlling the supply of gas to a gas consuming device comprising a chamber, means tor introducing gas under pressure to said chamber, an outlet passage including a tube extending downwardly into said chamberand terminating at a point above the bottom thereof, a cup member positioned adjacent the bottom ot said tube and freely spaced therefrom. and temperature responsive means supporting said cup, said cup being provided with a mass ot mercury therein and adapted to be moved upwardly by said temperature responsive means to bring said mercury into contact with the lower edge ot said tube at a predetermined temperature whereby to cut otl1 the tlow of said gas through said tube, the act of cutting oit said flow of gas acting to accelerate the movement of said cup whereby to relatively deeply immerse the end ot said tube in mercury.

7. In combination, a chamber, meansI tor introducing gas under pressure into sa id chamber, a downwardly extending outlet pipe in said chamber, a cup member positioned at the lower end ot said outlet pipe and spaced therefrom, said cup being supported on a vertically movable shaft, thermostatic means for controlling t-he vertical position of said shatt, and a mass of heavy fluid in said cup cooperable with the end of said pipe upon movement of said cup for sealing said pipe against the flow of said gas.

8. Incombinatiou, a chamber, means for introducing gas under pressure into said chamber, means tor allowing gas to escape from said chamber comprising a lixed tube open at its lower end, means tor supportimr a mass ot' mercury adjacent the bot'oni or said tube, temperature responsive means t'or actuating said supporting mean-s to bring said mercury into or out of contact with said tube, and means -tor preventing he temperature of said in said chamber from materially affecting the temperature of said temperature responsive means. Y

9. In combination, a easing provided with an intermediate wall, a cover closing said casing and separating the same into a pair ot chamber, means for introducing ffas under pressure into one of said chambers, means for allowing gas to escape from said chamber comprising a tixed vertically positioned tube open at its lower end, means t'or supporting a mass of mercury adjacent the bottom ot said tube, and a temperature responsive element positioned in the other ot said chambers for raising and lowering said mercury in respect to temperature variations of temperature responsive means whereby to bring it into or out o't contact with the lower end of said tube.

10. In combination, a casing provided with an intermediate wall, a cover closing said casing and cooperating with said intermedia'e wall to form the interior ol iid casing into an upper and lower chamber, means lor introducing gas under pressure into said upper chamber, means for permitting the escapero't gas from said upper chamber comprising a downwardly exfending fixed tube in sind chamber, a cup surrounding the lower end ot said tube and containing a mass ot mercury. and a temperature responsive element in said lower chamber connected with said cup tor raising or lowering said cup to brina` said mercury into or out ot contact with said tube in response to tempera'l ure variations in said lower chamber to close or open the lower end of said tube to the passage ot' said gas.

incasso 1l. n combination, a casing providedwith an intermediate wall, a cover closing said casing and forming the'lnterior thereof into two chambers one abovel said intermediate wall and one below the same, means for 1ntroducing gas under pressure into the upper of said chambers, means for the escape of gas from said upper chamber comprising av downwardly extendingptube fixedly supported at its upper end, a vertically slidable shaft guided in said intermediate'wall and` projecting into both of said chambers, a thermostatic element in the lower ofsaid chambers for controlling the vertical posiff tion of said shaft, a cup supported at the upper end of said shaft in adjacent relation- 1 ship with respect to the lower end ofrsaid tube, and a mass of mercury in saidl cupv A movable into and out of contact with the lower end of said tube upon vertical move" ment of said shaft to seal said tube against the passage of said gas or toopen it to the passage of said gas. Y l2. In a device of the type described, a chamber having an inlet and an outlet, a

mass of mercury, and solid spring means supporting said mercury in adjacent relationship in respect to said outlet, said mercury being adapted to control the flow of fluid between said inlet and said outlet.

13. In a device of the type described, a chamber having an inlet passage and a downwardly opening outlet passage, a 'mass of mercury, and torsion spring means supporting said mercury in adjacent relationship with respect to the open end of saidoutlet passage, said mercury adapted to be moved into and out of contact with said open Vend'to control theiowof fluid through said chamber.

GEORGE R. WILDERN. 

